Something Better

Something Better - Contributed by Jane Rager

And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning

sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk,

then the inferior. But you have kept the good wine until now.

~John 2:10~

One of my goals for my retirement was to grow a garden.  I remember the joy my mother got from her garden where I grew up in rural, western Pennsylvania.  The soil was dark and rich, and Mom could grow just about anything. She made it look so very easy. 

Shortly after we retired, we moved to Virginia.    Although our yard was large enough for a nice garden, I did not have much success in getting a garden to grow.  The soil was tightly packed red clay and our weather fluctuated from near drought to rain forest conditions.  When plants did grow they were quickly eaten up by our abundant deer population.  Gardening was a frustrating and difficult proposition at best.

One year we decided to turn our little used back deck into a container garden. It worked beautifully. I was overwhelmed by the brilliant colors of the flowers, the fragrance of the herbs and the bright colors of the vegetables.  I found great joy in tending this sweet garden and checked on it every morning and evening getting to know the plants and learning what worked best for them.  Some needed more water than others, some needed more space to spread out, all needed regular fertilizing for nourishment and all needed pruning from time.  The garden repaid us with a harvest of fresh herbs, flowers and small vegetables all summer long.

I really loved my garden but as the seasons changed, I had to face losing the plants I had loved and nurtured. It was hard to watch them fade and die each autumn.  One day when I was gleaning the last of the cherry tomatoes from their vine, one dropped. I stepped on it and juice and seeds squirted everywhere. Seeing all those seeds coming from that one small tomato made me realize that by dying, my tomato plant had the potential of leaving hundreds of seeds to regenerate and grow into dozens of new plants next spring.  This is all in God’s plan. 

When something is taken away from us, he has a way of turning it into an even bigger blessing in return.  When the Israelites lost their source of food, God provided more than enough manna and quail.   When the widow used her last oil and flour to bake bread for Elijah, God provided enough oil and flour to get them through the drought. When there was no more wine at the Canaan wedding, Jesus turned the water into the best wine. When Mary watched her beloved Son die on the cross, Jesus gave her a new son, John and God provided a Savior for all mankind.